Flush grease fitting, front driveshaft

[ARedmon]

This question may have been covered but I couldn't find it.

I own a 2005 Ram diesel 4x4. I've never found the flush grease fitting in the front driveshaft that the owners manual refers to and tells me to grease at every oil change. A few months ago after another failed attempt to find it, I took it to a local service station that does light mechanical work and asked them to find and grease it. They put it on a rack but could not find it. They let me look and I couldn't find it.

I finally decided to take it to the a dealership and let them grease it and show me where it was. I hadn't before because I figured they'd charge me for it.

Guess what! Three different mechanics looked for the fitting and none of them could find it! And they said that they had seen and greased them before on other trucks.

So here's my question. Does anyone else have a 2005 Ram without the grease fitting in the driveshaft? One of the mechanics said that Dodge must have gotten some of the joints from a different supplier and didn't publicize it. That's the only explanation that he could come up with. And, of course, this other supplier apparently did not put the grease fitting in their joints. Hopefully, they're "lubed for life. "

Anyone know what's going on? Not only is it in my owners manual, but it's also on a sticker under the hood. But no grease fitting on my truck!

 

[scootergmc]

Stolen from another thread:

#ad

 

[macdaddy]

It is there...



Are you lifting the the drivers side wheel and slowly rotating it?. The pic above is like mine I have a 05.



P

 

[Bob V]

I have one on my 05 but it doesn't look like the pic. in fact it is just about impossible to see, the cross member is in the way. I do it more by feel than sight.

 

[steved]

Depending on the build date, it may not have a grease fitting... that was sort of the changeover year for the grease fitting, you may or may not have gotten a shaft with it.

I have a 04. 5, and it does NOT have the fitting... the replacement shaft they provided me a year later did not have the fitting either...

Just something else to consider...

 

[Motorhead]

My '07, 5. 9 has it.

 

[steved]

My '07, 5. 9 has it.

The change over to the shaft with the fitting was 04/05... any production after that SHOULD have the fitting...

 

[Lil' Dog]

Thanks for the post. I was looking at that thing for ever and could not understand where they put the lube point. Next service. .

 

[ARedmon]

Thanks guys. Steved, I believe you're right that not all '05s have it. After all the looking I've done (and I'd seen the picture posted by scooter before so I knew what it looked like) and after an independent mechanic and 3 dealership mechanics (who said that they had located and lubed this fitting before) couldn't find it on my truck, I'm convinced that mine doesn't have it. If the changeover date was 4/05, then there's a bunch of '05 trucks out there that don't have it. I'm going to stop worrying about it now!

 

[JeffJackson]

I have one of the first '05s made (mfg date July 04), and mine has the lube fitting. Does yours have the sticker on the radiator support saying to lube the driveshaft?

 

[ARedmon]

Oh well; the only other explanation I have is the one that one of the mechanics suggested at the dealership and that was that Dodge may have gotten some driveshafts from a different supplier at some point during that year.

 

[SSalzer]

I'm pretty sure if you have the sticker under the hood that tells you to lube it, you must have it.

 

[RonD]

My 05 built in September 2004 has it, looks exactly like the photo, I painted a big white arrow on the driveshaft so it's easy to locate.

 

[ARedmon]

It has the sticker under the hood. But 3 dealership mechanics with flashlights couldn't locate it. I've never found it and I know from pictures what it looks like. I don't know what's going on. I bought the truck new so I know the driveshaft hasn't been changed. One of the mechanics at the dealership said that Dodge has been known to get parts from other vendors without notifying anyone. That's all I can think of.

 

[seafish]

My 2005 also HAS the sticker, but 2 dealerships have NOT found the fitting... they both explained that at some point Chrysler went with a "lifetime" lubed u-joint which superseded the greasable joint. Not necessarily a great decision in my book, BUT if the fitting is there, you would be able to SEE it, like in the photo.